Just go to Oxford. It's the best. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Writing essays for oxford tutorials can be daunting at first, but you will learn to work efficiently and effectively (if only because there is so much work thrown in your direction!). As an English student I read about 1,000 pages a week and wrote thee 8 page papers every two weeks. The tutorial system is amazing-- you meet about once a week with a tutor (basically the Oxford term for professor) to go over your essay one on one and have a very in depth conversation about the topic. There is no way you can get away with slacking off, but you'll be enthusiastic about the work you're doing-- the student is more or less in total control of what she wants to study, and can pick and choose certain texts from the reading lists as she pleases. Absolutely amazing for humanities and social sciences but I am not so sure how the system would work for students of hard sciences or medicine!

On-site administration of your program

there isn't much oversight by faculty or administrators once you get to oxford, but they were VERY helpful the summer beforehand, answering questions and getting everything sorted for my student Visa. There are special events for visiting students but you are more or less independent from the program the minute you step into the city.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

housing was a bit off campus-- most of the visiting students were housed together, which some could argue separated us from the freshers and degree students, but i made some of the best friends of my life from just hanging out in my building, and it's great to have friends who are going through the same experience that you are.

it's england... not surprisingly, the food was relatively sub-par. (i think i was spoiled by wellesley's 5 dining halls.) There is maybe one or two choices for each meal, and you pay per item, so i found it better, and sometimes more cost effective, to just eat out at a sandwich shop or get groceries for myself. However, the dining hall is a great area to meet people, especially with the long tables, and if you have a group together, it can be great. Formal halls are also a must-- every tuesday and thursday night at Peter's you can pay about 7 pounds for a three course meal while wearing your gowns. You'll see what i mean when you get there.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Oxford is full of quirks and oddities unique to the university and not necessarily relevant to british culture at large. I felt integrated into the student body, and was more fascinated by that than by traditional english customs (though english breakfast is unavoidable). High teas, red buses, bangers and mash, rowing on the thames--it's all very real and very apparent. you'll learn a lot of oxford lingo (prelims, sub fusc, michelmas, hilary, trinity, battels) and feel like you are a part of something great every time you put on your trusty commoner's gown.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

i had no problems with healthcare.. the nurse was readily available about twice a week and a medical center was within walking distance in jericho.

oxford is relatively safe, but there is a rather...vibrant...clubbing scene and a lot of drunken debauchery occurring just about every night around town. Even still, the clubbers are mostly students and i never had any problems. It would still probably be a good idea to have a buddy if you plan to walk around at night.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

food is expensive in the UK. Everything would make sense if the prices were in dollars, so you wind up paying about 1.5 times the amount you typically would on a sandwich, soda, etc. Hall meals are about 3 pounds each ($4.50-5.00).

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Other

• oxford traditions!
• international students!
• one on one tutorials!

• more integration with british students
• food?

The Academic or Linguist